Guard and safety device for motor-driven vehicles



Nov. 22, 192 7. 1,649,930

K. SPILLNER GUARD AND SAFETY DEVICE FOR MOTOR DRIVEN VEHICLES Original Filed May 27, 1926 Patented Nov. 22, 1927.

Eminent-titan c]? Iran-Bone, Germain GUARD Anni sAriirr Davies roe moronsnnrvnn vEHieLE's;

Application med ma z'zfieafs riai No. 112 099; ass-(s e mers my 6, 925} The invention relates to guards and safety devices for" motor driven vehicles, of the kind in which a flexible bufi'er screen car' rije'd by the vehicle body is "connected with a fl'eicible fender or catcher aliiX'edt'o the vef hicle body by means which, when an obstacle is strncljbytl1e screen, 'eifect the rele'ase of the fender and allowfit"to swing down in front of'the vehicle. Accordin'gto the invention, in addition to the known hook connectionafter the release of which the fender is swung down in front of the vehicle, a chain connection between the buffer screen and the fender has been provided, which becomes operative after the hook connection is released andwill lift the foremost extremity of the fender when the buffer screen has receded.

Compared with similar known arrangeinents, the present construction offers the advantage that the fender will descend I in front of the vehicle but not as far as the track itself, and that, after being swung down it is raised and swings freely above the roadway. V

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 illustrates in front elevat on the screen and fender separated from the vehiclc' Figure 2 is a side elevation of the screen and fender affixed to a vehicle in the position in which it is ready for action;

Figure?) illustrates the apparatus at the moment of striking an obstacle, and

Figure 4: shows the apparatus after catching the obstacle.

The apparatus consists in the main of a flexible screen carried at the front of the vehicle and a fender co-operating therewith.

The screen is formed by two lateral stays a, a transverse rail 7) connecting these stays at the centre, and spiral springs c stretched between the stays a in the manner shown in Figure 1. g

This screen is longitudinally guided in the underframe of the vehicle by means of buffer rods d extending rearwardly from the transverse bar 6, these rods being constantly pressed forwardly by springs 'e.

Ward y Spr ngs 9, The butters f thus v hen an obstacle is struck, the rods d Renewed October 15,-

couii'ter'act the" pressure exerted upony'the rods (Z; 7 v p v V v r Tlieifnder coo pe'rating with the screen con'ip'rises two side arms 1' movably mounted hiclef, theforwardlyextended free ends of 1 ofthe arms 2 are fittedpro'jections jcwhich,

inl the i'naline'rfshown in F igiir'eB, areengagetbby"hooksTcarriedby the screen, the fender being thus held above the track at a level which will not affect the running of the car.

According to the invention, a connection additional to that effected by the hooks Z is provided between the screen and the fender. This additional connection is in the form of chains m secured to the transverse rail 6 of the screen and looped around the projections k of the fender. The chains are slack in the normal'position of the apparatus as illustrated in Figure 2, and the, arrangement is so devised that during the pushing back of the rods d the fender will first be released by the hooks Z and descend towards the track, (Figure 3), andsubsequently be swung upwards by the tightening of the chains m on further rearward movement of the rods d, to the position shown in Figure 4.

The swinging of the fender first downwardly and then upwardly is of the utmost importance for the usefulness of the invention, because a person striking the screen will be properly caught and securely held.

What I do ciaim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l 1. The combination with the underframe of a motor vehicle, of abufier screen adapted to move rearwardly on striking an obstacle, afender pivotally connected at its rearward end to said frame, a support for the forward end of the fender adapted to be withdrawn by rearward movement of the screen, and means operative to check the fall of the fender and raise it when said sup port is withdrawn. v

2. The combination with the underfranie of a motorvehicle, of a buffer screen adapted to move rearwardly on striking an obstacle, a fender pivotally connected at its rearward end to said frame, projections on the feeder; heels s a ed t9 t e screen nd normally underlying said projections, and a normally slack chain connecting the screen and fender adapted to check the fall of the fender and raise it when the hooks are withdrawn from the projections on rearward movement of the screen.

3. The combination with the underframe of a motor vehicle, of a flexible bufi'er screen, buifer rods supporting said screen and longi 1 tudinally guided in said frame, a flexible fender pivotally connected at its rearward end to said frame, projections on the fender, hooks secured to the screen and normally underlying said projections, and normally slack chains secured to the screen and looped around said projections adapted to check the fall of the fender and raise it when the hooks are withdrawn from the projections on rearward movement of the screen.

4,. The combination With the underframe of a motor'vehicle, of a buffer screen comfall of the fender and raise it when the hooks are Withdrawn from the projections on rearward movement of the screen. I

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 7th day of May 1926.

KARL sPILLNER, 

